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Indian Supreme Court says authorities must avoid violence during protests
'In a democracy, during such peaceful marches, forces also should exercise restraint,' CJI says
- PUBLISHED: Wed 5 Aug 2026, 12:00 PM
- By:
- ANI
The Indian Supreme Court has verbally observed that authorities must exercise restraint and tread carefully while responding to young student protesters. Any violent response to prevent violence only aggravates the situation, added the Court.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant made the remarks while hearing a plea seeking action against the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) over alleged responsibility for the recent violence during CJP-led protests in Delhi and other parts of the country, including allegations relating to stone pelting.
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Tagging the matter with other pending petitions concerning violence during student protests in Delhi and other States, the Court said it would hear the issues together.
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“In a democracy, during such peaceful marches, forces also should exercise restraint. Authorities need to tread very carefully so that youngsters don’t indulge in violence. Responding violently would only aggravate the situation. The biggest powerful source is listening, listening to what they are saying and why they are agitating”, the CJI said.
The Court also expressed confidence in the judgment of law enforcement agencies.
“Let us leave it to the wisdom of the law enforcement agency, they know better than us how to deal with the situation. We have heard you. We will take it up on that day. Let us see the view of the Central Government, etc," the Court said.
On July 30, the Rajya Sabha passed a bill that would increase penalties for leaking exam papers following youth-led protests that demanded sweeping reforms and forced the resignation of the country's education minister.
The approval followed weeks of mass protests over leaked exam papers and other irregularities, which culminated in the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan on Saturday.
The protests, spearheaded by the online Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) movement, drew massive support from students across the country and presented a major challenge to Modi's government.
(With inputs from AFP)